Sidmool - first impressions

Sometimes a review basically writes itself.
And sometimes you birth it in such pains and for such a long time that the very thought of it makes you physically shudder.

This is one of those times.

Sidmool. I wanted to love Sidmool.
Sidmool skincare is ingredient p0rn for ingredient snobs.

I'm not a snob. I just wanted something that would be affordable and effective.
Sidmool was definitely affordable. But effective? Hmmm... It was a mixed bag of effects, from dazzling and awesome to "is this thing doing anything at all?".

But first things first.
What is Sidmool, I hear you say?

Sidmool is a South Korean cosmetic brand that focuses on natural, high impact ingredients and simple and unadorned formulations. Their products contain only what's absolutely necessary.
Sidmool was founded in 2006 and currently offers a full range of skincare and makeup products.

The company claims that it listens to and values its customers feedback. As long as said customers are Korean. When it comes to foreign customers, Sidmool doesn't give a flying f*ck through a rolling donut. In fact, the company goes out of its way to avoid selling to international consumers. It went as far as requesting that Jolse, one of the popular on-line stores selling Korean cosmetics, stopped offering Sidmool products.

I used to get my Sidmool from Jolse.
Now you have to look for Sidmool on G-Market (a Korean version of Rakuten, or Amazon), ebay, or brave Sidmool's own convoluted internet store, which is, no surprise here, completely English-language unfriendly.

I mean, it takes a special kind of company to basically tell its foreign customers off. Well done, Sidmool! You're such a speshul snowflake.

Why is Sidmool so foreign customers unfriendly? Hmmm... Does it have anything to do with how Korean cosmetic companies list the ingredients of their products? We all know the ingredient labeling order is different in Korea than in other parts of the world - link.
Thanks to those differences Korean products very often look vastly superior to non-Korean cosmetics. Of course this superiority is only superficial, and when the ingredient lists are re-shuffled to conform to American or Japanese regulations, the magic is no more.

Is Sidmool playing that game? That's anybody's guess.

So, let's talk about the products, shall we?

There were four of them, but one I gave away (and that friend later chucked it saying it was awful), so only three are pictured here.

I have a couple more, but I'm just not itching to try them. Not at all.

We'll start with the hits, and then talk about the misses.

• Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence (60ml)
  

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence turned out to be my very unexpected number one hit.

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence ingredients:

Snail Secretion Filtrate 30%, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Arbutin, Polyglutamic Acid, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, sh-Octapeptide-4, sh-Decapeptide-7, sh-Oligopeptide-9, Sodium Hyaluronate, Algin, Salicylic Acid, Hydrolyzed Algin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chlorella (Chlorella Minutissima, Chlorella Vulgaris, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa) Extract, Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Alpha-Arbutin, Adenosine, Carbomer, Arginine, Hydroxyethylcellulose

I don't use snail products. That this ended up in my cart was a case of clicking too fast.
I don't use snail products, because one, my skin disagrees with them. And two, I disagree with them. But that's a story for another post that is not going to happen.

Having said that, when I realized that a snail product was in the shipment, my "waste not" philosophy kicked in and forced me to try it.

To my huge surprise, my skin actually liked Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence. Which leads to me believe that there is very little of actual snail secretion filtrate in the product. Oh wait, the ingredient list confirms that, only 30%.

Here you can read what this essence claims to do. Your skin will be brighter than bright. Yo people! The fairest of them all!

 
Did it work?
Yes and no.

I used it in the mornings only. I liked how it dried matte and could be followed with whatever else I needed it to follow. My skin definitely seemed brighter, however the results were only temporary. A few days after stopping the essence my skin returned to its normal pinkish, eternally flushed state.

You see, just recently I got officially diagnosed with rosacea. I have been suspecting rosacea for years. I have no lesions, no papules, no pustules and no swelling. My occasional breakouts are due to other triggers.
My rosacea manifests itself in facial redness only. And it's usually limited to my cheeks and nose.
It was only when rosacea started to affect my eyes that the official diagnosis was finally made.

So what did Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence do for my skin?
It worked to control the flushing. My cheeks were less pink. To the point that on good days I could get away without using any CC or BB creams. I only slapped on some sunblock and was ready to go.

However, as I have mentioned before, the results were only temporary.

Note:
This is not a moisturizing essence. If you have dry skin, you may find your skin getting dryer if you do not amp up the moisture.
If you have oily skin, this just may work to control your oil production.

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence swatches:

As you can see, it's a gooey, watery slime that dries completely matte. It plays nicely with whatever else you need to put on top of it.

And it really does a great job of controlling the redness and making the skintone appear more even and clear.
It has no scent, none whatsoever, which made my nose very happy.

Having said that, it has snails. It might be too depressing for some people.
Am I going to repurchase?
Despite it having snails, and I am anti-snail in general for ethical reasons, I am very much on the fence.
I like what this Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence does for me. But the snails... But the results... But the snails...
I might get it again.

Chances are I will go back to using Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum first, because despite the strong scent, it doesn't have any snails. And its ingredients are legit confirmed to combat rosacea.
However, I am not ruling out having a second go at Sidmool's snails.



Hit number 2:

• Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule (12ml) 

I didn't expect Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule to be a hit at all. I usually don't have much luck with products promising "whitening" or "brightening".

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule ingredients:

Physalis Alkekengi Fruit Extract 71%, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Polyglutamic Acid, Niacinamide 3%, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Krameria Triandra Root Extract, Alpha-Arbutin 2%, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Rhododendron Chrysanthum Leaf Extract, Propolis Extract, Betaine, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Alpha Bisabolol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate 

All I can say about Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule is that it works. I don't know how, what or why, but it does.

I used it only at night, plus the already mentioned Sidmool snail essence in the morning, and the results were very visible, and what's even better - longer lasting than when using the snail essence alone. Or when using the Power Ampoule alone.

I have tried it in three combinations:

1. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night only
2. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night and in the morning
3. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night and Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence in the morning

Number 3 brought the most dramatic results. And even though I am really hesitant to repurchase the snails, I will be most definitely buying Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule again.

I want to bathe in this stuff. Sadly, as the bottles are teeny tiny it's not really a feasible option.

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule swatches:

The liquid is slightly oily and it does leave a somewhat shiny sheen when fully absorbed. It took its sweet time to get fully absorbed, too. Hence my choice to use it only at night.
There was no detectable scent.
I didn't experience any adverse reactions when using Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule. There were no breakouts, no irritation, no nothing.

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule worked to control the redness in my cheeks, and in addition, helped with fading some other discolorations.

All in all, a lovely product with awesome results.

I have used products with niacinamide before and they did absolutely nothing for my skin. I strongly suspect that this time the results are due to arbutin rather than niacinamide, as arbutin is present in both of the Sidmool products that made my skin visibly brighter, more even and less flushed.

So those were the hits.



Now time to introduce the misses.

• Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule (11ml)

A bit of a background story.

A few years ago, when Sidmool still produced Pueraria Anemarrhena Elastic Essence, which contained pueraria mirifica extract, the hype was so great that I, the good lemming that I am, of course joined the masses and started using it as well.

It did absolutely nothing.

Then came the reformulated Sidmool Anemarrhena Elasticity Essence without pueraria mirifica, which I also used. And which also did absolutely nothing.

And that's how I ended up with today's contestant - Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule.


Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule ingredients:

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract

And these two ingredients are nothing other than Volufiline™, in other words, this ampoule contains 100% Volufiline.

What is Volufiline? It's an ingredient developed by Sederma and normally used as a bust enhancer. Yep, breast creams and that sort of stuff.

This is what Sederma has to say about it:

Volufiline™ is a non-hormonal treatment that reportedly stimulates adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and volume with a plant-derived molecule in order to bring volume where it is needed. The plant-derived molecule formulated into the ingredient is an extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, a perennial evergreen that grows in Eastern Asia.

The mechanisms of action were studied in vitro with a genetic analysis based on DNA array experiments. According to the company, a two-month clinical study, using the FOITS (fringe projection) technique to measure volume, curvature and body lines, revealed that the cleavage is rounded off by up to 8.4% with use of the product.

source


A two month clinical study, they say? I'm rolling my eyes so hard I can see my brain.
Notice the word "reportedly" in the text above?

So what do breast enhancement creams and general skincare have in common?
Because Volufiline "reportedly" stimulates fat production, the idea is that it can be put to work as a natural wrinkle filler.

That's the premise. Sounds great, right?

I am like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. But when all the supporting studies are either exclusive to the company that produces this stuff, or sponsored by the company that produces this stuff, or in collaboration with the company that produces this stuff, color me skeptical.

People on them innernets, including various beauty bloggers, claim Volufiline is a miracle worker, that it fills out wrinkles, tear troughs, sunken cheeks and stubborn frownies or smile lines. All of that in addition to making your bust and butt bigger at the same time.

They provide more or less blurry and out of focus before and after photos.
They conveniently ignore the fact that even minimal weight gain, caffeine consumption, or hormonal problems are going to influence facial fat distribution. All of that in addition to the power of autosuggestion and (scientifically proven and peer-reviewed) placebo effects.

So, how did all this Sidmool natural wrinkle filler work for me?
After nearly 3 years of use I can say that not at all. It didn't work at all.

In fact, it made my undereye areas look worse. The wrinkles became MORE prominent and more visible. At first I thought I was hallucinating, that my skin was dry, that it was winter, or that it was stress, or that it was summer, or that it was whatever.
But those times when I stopped using the filler, after a few days (not weeks, DAYS!), the overall condition would improve.
Oh hit me with a wooden stick, for crying out loud! This shit was supposed to work the OTHER way round.

Over the years I have broached the subject of Volufiline and natural fillers with three different doctors specializing in cosmetic medicine. Their reactions?

1. If you think it's going to work, then why not?
2. Do you really think that a topical treatment is going to influence cellular changes significant enough to show a visible difference?
3. Eye roll (but a very subtle one, and not in my direction but to the nurse in the room).

The general consensus was similar in tone to topical collagen - we know it doesn't work, but we still use it, right?
And Volufiline? If you think it's working, then be my guest and knock yourself out. But don't be surprised if it doesn't.

I guess I was surprised it didn't. I mean, it worked, seemingly, for everyone else on the internet, right? Then why not for me?

In frustration I went ahead and got Restylane fillers under my eyes and couldn't be happier. Took 20 minutes and the cost was less than what I have spent on Sidmool's magical wrinkle fillers over the years.
That'll teach me.

And the final dud of the evening?

• Sidmool Secret Of Red Astaxanthin Concentrate 

This one doesn't even have a proper photo. Because, seriously, why bother?

I live in Japan. Japan practically invented astaxanthin skincare. We have asta hand creams over here. What was I thinking when I ordered Sidmool? Not much, apparently.
It was a sticky, nasty, primitive mess.
I gave it away.
And my friend threw it out.

End of story.

Tonoike Sake Brewery visit and Kuramoto Bijin skincare haul

Wait!
Sake brewery and skincare haul all at the same time?

Yep. Totally possible if you live in Japan.


Sake based skincare has been around for a long time, even since before SK-II patented their Pitera.
And in recent years there has been a virtual explosion of sake-inspired, sake-infused, sake-blended, and sake-based cosmetics. At least in Japan.

Why? Because sake is virtually everywhere here, sake by-products are full of vitamins and anti-ageing compounds, and fermented products are probably one of the oldest beauty treatments known to man.

Kuramoto Bijin rice oil and sake serum (the red one) has been my friend since last year. I loved it so much that I began to spread the joy to my friends in foreign lands.

A few weeks ago I was finally getting ready to write about it (and as always, the review is still pending) and had the mother of all eureka moments.

Tonoike Sake Brewery that makes the product is literally down the street from my house. It's located in Mashiko in Tochigi prefecture.

A quick look at the company's website revealed that the brewery is very visitor friendly.
You didn't have to tell me that twice.

And so last Monday I hopped in the car and zoomed over to Mashiko.
Mashiko is famous in its own right - it's one of the main pottery centers in Japan. It holds two pottery festivals a year and if you're into expensive tableware and pretty things, you should definitely consider visiting.

I don't drink alcohol. I dip my tongue in sake only during official ceremonies when it absolutely, positively can't be avoided. I am no sake expert. I only know what wikipedia tells me.

But what I do know is that sake kasu (a.k.a. sake lees) makes for a wonderful face pack.

With that in mind, I had no idea what I could expect during my visit to Tonoike Shuzouten in Mashiko.

As it turned out, I worried needlessly. A visit to a sake brewery is great fun even for a non-drinker and a sake noob like me.

 I was met by Mr Shigeki Tonoike, the boss himself, who kindly volunteered to be my guide.

The Tonoike family has been making sake in Tochigi prefecture since 1829 and the brewery in Mashiko was established by Mr Tonoike's (the current boss's) grandfather in 1937.
And apparently, as evidenced by numerous domestic and international sake competition awards, the Tonoike family really knows their stuff.

My tour started with a video explaining the sake making process.
After that I donned special slippers, a white smock and a hat and went to see the fermenting rice up close and personal.

What makes sake special is how the rice is polished. The more of the outer layer you remove, the fancier the sake later on.

When polished and washed, the grains don't look like rice anymore. They resemble tiny white pearls. And are just as shiny.

And here you can see it fermenting in huge vats:

There's your sake being made. And cosmetics :-)

Actually Tonoike Shuzouten doesn't manufacture beauty products in-house. Instead they send their raw materials to proper, licensed plants that do the work for them. They also work with cosmetic chemists and scientists to make sure that their products are up to the highest standards.

Mr Tonoike explained that the cosmetic side of things started 10 years ago with soap.
Sake bottles are heavy, and while they make great gifts and souvenirs, they are big and hard to transport. And not everyone is a drinker.

Sake based soap seemed like a perfect solution. It was small, light and something that everyone uses.

Then came sake-infused hand cream. And let me tell you, it really does smell like sake. If you're a drinker you might end up licking your hands. A lot.

But what about those who are not fans of the sake smell?

The answer was very simple - tochiotome strawberries - Tochigi's most famous crop.
And that's how the strawberry infused cream was born. And let me tell you, it really does smell like strawberries. I wanted to lick my hands. A lot.

Then came sake and strawberry infused bath salts. If you ever wanted to bathe in a sake smelling soup, this one's for you. I used to plop a chunk of sake kasu into my hot bath, now I can use proper bath salts. Saves a lot of work when scrubbing the bathtub later on.

Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Lotion was new to me. I can't wait to try it.

Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Milk was made famous by Ratzilla's best pick feature.

I am on my second bottle and it has become my winter dry skin savior.

Ratzilla also wrote about Kuramoto Bijin Komeyu Rice Oil.

I have been using it on my eczema patches and works better than any other facial oil I have tried. Eat your heart out tsubaki!

The three rice grain ladies (yep, they are shaped like rice) signify women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. In other words - Kuramoto Bijin Komeyu is skincare for everyone.

Tonoike Sake Brewery is working on additional beauty products - face cream, sheet masks and a face pack (which means no more do it yourself sake kasu!). A premium line is also in the works.

And the best news is that the company is working on an English-language internet store with worldwide shipping.  How awesome is that?

Many Japanese companies are totally oblivious to the popularity of Japanese skincare overseas, they don't care and can't be bothered.
So it was so refreshing and inspiring to see a Japanese company that understands the importance of making life easy for its foreign customers.



HAUL TIME!!!

This is my entire Tonoike Shuzouten Kuramoto Bijin haul.

Kuramoto Bijin Komeyu Rice Oil and Kuramoto Bijin Komeyu Rice Oil Serum:

Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Lotion and Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Milk:

Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Ferment Soap:

Tochiotome hand cream and bath salts:

Nameraka hand cream and sake bath salts:

And... sake kasu pound cake!
It was delicious!

I seem to have missed the strawberry body lotion, but that's ok. I have an excuse to visit again!

Thank you so much Mr Tonoike and Ms Sato for making me feel so welcome!

Isn't it awesome to realize that your favorite skincare brand was born literally in your own back yard?

I will be reviewing the products in the coming weeks. So stay tuned. Because a Kuramoto Bijin giveaway is coming too. I hauled lots and I'm happy to share!


UPDATE:

If you're interested in any of these products, but can't purchase them easily online (I know they can be hard to find!), please let me know.  I'll be happy to help. Because, hey, Tochigi pride! Represent! :-)

Shu Uemura Drawing Crayons

This review of Shu Uemura Drawing Crayons will be short and sweet.

Very short and very sweet, because unlike the freakshow that was Shu Uemura Blanc:Chroma cushion foundation, these crayons are awesome.
Which only proves what we've all known for ages - Shu Uemura does eye makeup well. Does eye makeup remarkably well.

And no, this is not a sponsored review - I bought these.

I am a huge Shu Uemura fangirl, I can't deny it. Even though Shu skincare leaves me feeling meh, their point makeup more than compensates for that.

I have already written about my collection of Shu Uemura Drawing Pencils.
Today we will talk about Shu Uemura Drawing Crayons.

What is it?
Basically, your standard big, fat crayon that works as an eye shadow, or - according to Shu - as an eyeliner.
I use them as eye shadows.

They are waterproof, long wearing, non-smudging colors that stay-on-forever in a true Shu Uemura fashion.

The colors are beautiful soft pastels - perfect for spring.
The swatches I have seen on the internet look awfully photoshopped with saturation and vibrance cranked up to the max.
In reality, they are much softer and subtle - even the bright hues like blue or green.

The whole collection consists of 12 colors.
They are marked as M for matte, P for pearly, and S for shimmer (in some countries, like Malaysia, shimmer shades are not marked as S, so be careful).

image from Shu Uemura Malaysia


I have these six colors:

• Pearly Brown
• Pearly Yellow Gold (doesn't seem to be available anymore in Japan)
• Pearly Purple
• Pearly Soft Orange
• Pearly Pink (number 1 popular color, according to Shu Uemura Japan)
• Matte Soft Brown.

And this is how they swatch.
No photoshop and no filters applied!

Swatches of Shu Uemura Drawing Crayons:

As you can see, all of them are very wearable, everyday colors.
I am clueless when it comes to traditional eye shadows, I don't know how to use them, how to apply them and how to blend them.

Eye shadow crayons are my salvation. Just draw a line, smear it a bit with your finger and you're good to go. That's how I roll. Fiddling and piddling with brushes requires a level of makeup skills that I just don't have. And at my age, I am too old to master. So it's sticks and crayons for me all the way.

Same as Shu Uemura Drawing Pencils, these crayons are made in Germany.

They are very old school. You will need to sharpen them. You will need a big, fat Shu Uemura sharpener here.
Let me repeat it, these are NOT the twist type. These are the old school sharpening type.

To most Shu fans that is pretty obvious, but to newcomers to the brand it might be a bit of a shock. One reviewer on the American Shu site complained that "they are good for only a few times and there is no way to get more crayon."
Yes darling, there is a way to get more crayon, it's called sharpening.

To me it's not a deal breaker, but I know to many people might be.

Not sure who'd be interested in the ingredients, but here they are, just in case.

Shu Uemura Drawing Crayon ingredients:

How much?
2800 yen plus tax.

A bit on the steep side, but we're not talking about L'Oreal Infallible® Eye Shadow Crayons here.
Incidentally, Shu Uemura is a L'Oreal brand, and it's been said that the Infallibles make for good Shu dupes. Personally I don't know, so can't confirm.

From what I've seen on them innernets, L'Oreal Infallibles are much more shimmery with quite big glitter particles.
These Shu crayons are more in line with Clinique Chubby Sticks Shadow Tint for Eyes. But Clinique sticks are not as long lasting as Shu Uemura Drawing Crayons. However, on the plus side, they don't need to be sharpened.
(And I have a crapton of those, so I definitely can confirm.)

So there.
You have all the pros and cons.

My verdict?

I love them.
If I had more disposable income, I'd buy all 12 colors.